These two hit all the right marks. They wanted a vacation and a wedding, so they decided on a destination wedding. They’re parents after all, and rightfully so deserve a vaca. They wanted a laid back beach wedding with a touch of traditional elements, so they invited a few close friends and family to celebrate at their annual summer getaway spot, Anna Maria Island, in Florida. Lastly, in early 2013, Dixie Pixel Photography held a contest for free wedding photography, and Anne & Drew won! In addition, they also won $1500 towards floral and decor from Whimsical Gatherings. Oh, and don’t think her gold sequin wedding dress (and table linens!) are going unnoticed…
Since we were having a beach wedding I knew I didn’t want to wear white. I wanted gold. Gold on the beach was the first thing I knew I wanted. Everything else just fell in to place around the simple color palate we picked out. We wanted lots of white, pale pink, nude, gold and light minty green. I had my bridesmaids pick out any dress they wanted in any of those colors.
How beautiful is this moment of Anne Marie and her sweet daughter, Gwen? Anna Marie and her mother worked on the pattern for Gwen’s dress together using a mix of vintage sparkly tule and floral fabric. P.S You can see more photos of little Gwen’s dress in our full gallery!
Obviously marrying Drew was the best part of the day. But if I had to pick a second favorite. It would be when Drew, Gwen and I cut the cake together. We hadn’t planned on doing it. We just scooped her up when it was time to cut the cake. It was really special and those are some of my favorite wedding pictures. It was important to us that she was really part of the day. It was her day too, and she’s old enough to really remember everything. I’m just so glad she was part of all the special moments of our wedding.
Great words of advice from Anne:
From the beginning we asked ourselves if we really needed that to be part of our day. There are so many details that aren’t necessary. All of my DIY ideas got voted out. It was important that we weren’t stressed about the wedding. We didn’t send out save the date cards, just invitations. And we picked simple invitations on vista print rather than pricy invitation packages. Also, we went with small cakes and cup cakes rather than a big wedding cake.
Our photographer was amazing. She kept us on schedule and made us feel so comfortable. Our event coordinator/ florist took care of all of the details and helped make every photo dreamlike and beautiful. The wedding and reception locations were staffed with the most amazing attentive people. At the end of the day you get to marry your best friend. Don’t worry about the perfect flower shade or whether or not the wedding looks exactly like you thought it might. The right team of people can help the day go so smooth and help the bride not worry and relax. The day goes by too fast. Take it all in and enjoy all the moments.
Such a sweet, beautiful and touching day for them, right? Congratulations Anne + Drew!
For more inspiration check out our Wedding Ideas section + Pinterest boards.
Photographer: Dixie Pixel / Floral Designer: Whimsical Gatherings / Reception Venue: The Sandbar / Ceremony Venue: Roser memorial church / Event Coordinator + Designer: Carrie Waller of Whimsical Gatherings / Invitation Designer: Vista Print / Hair & Makeup: Bride / Cake: groomsmen, Tim green / Other desserts: from local grocery store / Wedding dress: Badgley Mischka / Veil: passed down from mother of the bride / Earrings: handmade bride’s sister and bridesmaid, Abbey Johnson / Groom’s Suit & shoes: Banana Republic / Bridesmaid dresses: ASOS, Free People, Alice and Olivia / Flower girl: handmade by mother of the bride
